THE role vaccination could play in a future outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) is being tested by rural ministry Defra in a national exercise next week.

The staged event, called Exercise Hornbeam, will simulate days seven and eight of an imaginary outbreak, with a special focus on vaccination.

"It is essential that the depart-ment's ability to fight any new out-break is tested thoroughly and that plans are realistic and achievable," said Ben Bradshaw, junior Defra minister.

"The role that vaccination could play in a future outbreak is a crucial area to be tested. Vaccination can be an important part of the armoury and a great deal of work has been done by the department in turning it into a practical possibility."

Defra has stressed that if vaccination measures were introduced, the policy would be to vaccinate-to-live rather than vaccinate-to-kill later.

Wales' countryside minister Carwyn Jones added: "It should be emphasised that the policy would remain, even if during an outbreak the decision is taken to vaccinate, that diseased animals and danger-ous contacts would be slaughtered."

The decision whether to use vaccination would depend on the weather, land topography and the livestock population within a 3km radius.

It will also depend on the species found to be carrying the disease - pigs are likely to be vaccinated as infected pigs excrete more virus than other species and so pose a greater threat to cattle and sheep.

Sheep are unlikely to be vaccinated because the policy would not be cost effective: after vaccination meat would have to be heat-treated or deboned and matured until after FMD-free status was re-established.

Defra published a paper on Friday detailing the potential role it sees for emergency vaccination in tackling FMD outbreaks.

Exercise Hornbeam is the culmination of a series of table-top exercises involving a multi-agency approach to tackling epidemics.

FUW director of agricultural policy, Arwyn Owen, said vaccination would undoubtedly play a greater role in future outbreaks.

But he warned there were major problems with vaccination, not least the time taken for the vaccine to become effective. And with so many strains of FMD, there is no one vaccine that is effective against all strains, he said.

The food and farming industries are also concerned that international trading rules make it more difficult to export meat from vaccinated animals.

Within five days of a new out-break, vaccine stocks could be available to begin containing the disease, according to Defra.

In future animals would be disposed of through rendering, incineration and burial. The previous policy of burning animals on funeral pyres has been abandoned.